Wall anchor system and method

ABSTRACT

A system includes a back up wall and a veneer wall spaced from the back up wall. An anchor shaft has a first end secured to the back up wall, and a free end of the shaft projects into a space between the back up wall and the veneer wall. A wing nut has a central barrel disposed on the shaft proximate the free end. The wing nut is spaced apart from a surface of the back up wall and has a generally planar wing extending from an end of the central barrel wherein the wing includes at least one opening for receipt of a wire tie. The wing nut is independently rotatable about the shaft to angularly orient the wings and thus the at least one opening as desired.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and benefit of: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/581,039, filed Jun. 18, 2004; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/628,048, filed Nov. 15, 2004; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/628,047, filed Nov. 15, 2004. The disclosures of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes.

REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

SEQUENTIAL LISTING

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to apparatus for transferring horizontal loads between a back up wall and a veneer wall, and, more particularly, to a wing nut connecting an anchor shaft extending from the back up wall or other building support to a wire tie extending from a veneer wall.

2. Description of the Background of the Invention

Various patents disclose apparatus for connecting a back up wall to a veneer wall for transferring horizontal loads therebetween.

Reinwall et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,069 discloses a threaded stud drilled into a supportive metal stud wall. The stud has an elongate barrel integral with a driving head. The barrel may include cutting elements for cutting through an insulation layer on the supportive wall. The stud is driven until the barrel abuts the supportive wall. The driving head of the stud/barrel includes an elongate eye for receipt of a wire tie that extends from a mortar bed of a veneer wall. The driving head also includes a circumferential flange disposed between the barrel and the eye and sized larger than the barrel. The flange seals against the insulation layer.

Lopez U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,984 discloses a threaded stud having a fastener barrel rigidly secured on an end of the threaded stud. The fastener barrel includes a slot through which a wire tie is looped. The stud is driven into the back up wall by rotating the fastener barrel, typically with a drill having a chuck that fits around a portion of the fastener barrel. The fastener barrel may include teeth for cutting through insulation as the threaded stud is driven through insulation and the back up wall.

Various patents show fastening apparatus. Holaday U.S. Pat. No. 1,289,450 shows a pressure screw having a shaft and a handle. The handle has first and second wings, and each of the wings has an opening.

Larava U.S. Pat. No. 1,044,791 shows a thumb nut formed of sheet metal. The thumb nut has first and second wings with an opening in each wing.

Schmidt et al. U.S. Design Pat. No. 123,423 discloses a wing nut having a fastening portion and a handle portion. Similarly, Bethea U.S. Design Pat. No. 286,979 and Bethea U.S. Design Pat. No. 286,744 show nuts having fastening and handle portions.

Roerig U.S. Pat. No. 2,576,643 shows a wing nut, each wing having an opening therethrough.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system includes a back up wall and a veneer wall spaced from the back up wall. An anchor shaft has a first end secured to the back up wall, and a free end of the shaft projects into a space between the back up wall and the veneer wall. A wing nut has a central barrel disposed on the shaft proximate the free end. The wing nut is spaced apart from a surface of the back up wall and has a generally planar wing extending from an end of the central barrel wherein the wing includes at least one opening for receipt of a wire tie. The wing nut is independently rotatable about the shaft to angularly orient the wings and thus the at least one opening as desired.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a method includes the step of providing a back up wall and a veneer wall spaced from the back up wall. A first end of an anchor shaft is secured to the back up wall such that a free second end of the shaft projects into a space between the back up wall and the veneer wall. A wing nut is selected having a central barrel and a generally planar wing extending from an end of the central barrel. The wing includes at least one opening for receipt of a wire tie. Once the shaft is secured to the back up wall, the wing nut is independently rotatable about the shaft to angularly orient the wings and thus the at least one opening as desired. The wing nut is threaded on the shaft proximate the free end to a desired final position. In the desired final position the wing nut is spaced apart from a surface of the back up wall.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of providing a wing nut to an end user for connecting a back up wall to a veneer wall includes the step of providing a wing nut having a central barrel with a bore sized to accommodate an anchor shaft and a generally planar wing extending from an end of the central barrel. The wing includes at least one opening for receipt of a wire tie. One identifies to the end user that the wing nut is usable with the wire tie and the anchor shaft for the purpose of connecting a back up wall to a veneer wall. One causes the wing nut to be delivered to the end user so that the end user places the wing nut onto the shaft and attaches the wire tie to the wing nut to connect the back up wall to the veneer wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a first wing nut;

FIG. 2 is further isometric view of the wing nut of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are exploded elevational views showing the wing nut of FIG. 1, anchor shafts, and a washer;

FIG. 4 is an exploded elevational view showing the wing nut of FIG. 1 and an alternative anchor shaft;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, showing the wing nut of FIG. 1 used to connect a back up wall and a veneer wall;

FIG. 5A is an isometric view of a wire tie;

FIG. 6 is an exploded isometric view showing the wing nut of FIG. 1 along with a back up block wall, anchor shafts extending from mortar beds of the back up wall, and wire ties; the veneer wall is not shown for clarity;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of an alternative wing nut having an elongate slot;

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a further alternative wing nut design wherein a portion of the wing is recessed from a diameter line of the barrel;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an alternative wire tie; and

FIG. 10 is an exploded isometric view of a two-piece alternative wing nut.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a wing nut 30 includes a central barrel 33 and a plate or wing 36 disposed on an end 40 of the central barrel 33. The plate 36 includes first and second through holes or openings 42 a, 42 b. The openings 42 a, 42 b may be circular. Referring to FIG. 2, the central barrel 33 includes an internal threaded bore 44. The bore 44 may be either partially or fully threaded. The barrel 33 has an axial extent, and a dimension of the wing 36 measured parallel to the axis of the barrel 33, may be roughly equal to the axial extent of the barrel 33, or alternatively could have any different suitable size. The wing nut 30 may be constructed of any suitable material such as galvanized steel, stainless steel, metal alloys such as zinc alloys, plastics, etc. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the wing nut 30 may be threaded onto a threaded end 45 of an anchor shaft 48. An optional washer 50, whether threaded or non-threaded, may also be disposed on the shaft 48. Rather than providing the washer 50, one could alternatively fashion the wing nut 30 with a suitable circumferential flange (not shown). The shaft 48 generally includes a tip 55, which may be either rounded as shown in FIG. 3A or pointed as shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 3A, the shaft 48 may include an unremarkable end 60 that may be welded to a back up wall reinforcement (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3B, an alternative end 62 may be flattened and welded to a back up wall reinforcement or could be hooked around same in any suitable manner known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Referring to FIG. 5, the wing nut 30 is used to connect a back up wall 70 to a veneer wall 75 to transfer horizontal loads between the walls 70 and 75, such as loads from wind forces or other forces acting against the veneer wall 75. The back up wall 70 is shown in FIG. 5 as a metal stud 80. An anchor shaft 83, also shown in FIG. 4, is secured to the stud 80 in any suitable manner. For example, as illustrated an L-shaped plate 90 is screwed to, welded, bolted, or otherwise secured to a surface 91 of the stud 80. The shaft 83 is secured to the plate 90 in any suitable manner. As shown, the shaft 83 extends through a hole in the plate 90. A nut 94 and a head 96 (or alternatively a second nut 96) capture the plate 90 therebetween, thus securing the shaft 83 to the back up wall 70. The shaft 83 extends through gypsum board or other wall sheeting 98 and insulation 100. It should be noted that while the gypsum board 98 and the insulation 100 are optional, these items are ordinarily disposed between back up and veneer walls. According to one mode of practicing the present invention, the shaft 83 is first secured to the back up wall 70, threading the shaft 83 through a predilled opening in the gypsum board 98. Thereafter, the insulation 100 is pressed against the shaft 83, such that the shaft 83 pierces through the insulation 100. In any event, once the gypsum board and insulation are in place, the user may then place the optional washer 50 on the shaft 83 such that the washer 50 abuts the insulation 100, and then the wing nut 30 is threaded onto the shaft 83 until the washer 50 is pressed snugly against the insulation 100. The user may rotate the wing nut 30 still further, until a desired angular orientation of the plate 36, and thus the openings 42 a, 42 b is achieved. Once the desired orientation is achieved, the user may place first and second legs 104, 106 (FIG. 5A) of a wire tie 108 into the openings 42 a, 42 b. The legs 104, 106 may include a bent portion 109 that inhibits the legs 104, 106 from sliding out of the wing nut 30 once installed. An embedment portion 110 of the wire tie 108 is disposed in a mortar bed 112 (FIG. 5) of the veneer wall 75. It should be noted that an advantage of the wing nut 30 is that rotational movement thereof accomplishes not only changing the angular orientation thereof, but also moves the wing nut 30 longitudinally along the shaft 83.

FIG. 6 shows that the back up wall 70 could alternatively be a masonry block wall 116 having a plurality of blocks 118 with mortar beds 120 therebetween. Anchor shafts 122 are embedded in the mortar beds 120. According to one method of practicing the present invention, a user may construct the block wall 116, and in the course of constructing the wall 116, the shafts 122 are prewelded to a horizontal reinforcement which is disposed in the mortar bed 120 so that the shaft 122 extends from the wall 116 as shown, thereby rigidly securing the shafts 122 to the back up wall 70. Thereafter, the user may press insulation board against a tip 126 of the shafts 122 such that a threaded region 128 protrudes outwardly of the insulation. The tips 126 are shown as pointed to facilitate piercing insulation. The user may then place the washer 50 on the shaft 122, abutting the insulation and may then thread the wing nuts 30 onto the shafts 122 until the washer 50 and the wing nuts 30 are tight against the insulation. A user may further rotate the wing nuts 30 until a desired angular orientation of the wing nuts is achieved. The user may rotate the wing nuts 30 until the plate 36 is in a generally horizontal position with the plane of the plate 36 parallel to the horizontal mortar beds 120. Once the wing nuts 30 are secure, the veneer wall (not shown in FIG. 6) is constructed and the embedment portions 110 of the wire ties 108 are embedded in the mortar beds of the veneer wall, and the wire tie legs 104, 106 are placed in the openings 42 a, 42 b of the wing nuts 30 to connect the back up wall to the veneer wall. It should be noted that instead of piercing the insulation, one could alternatively fashion sheets of insulation and/or wall sheeting that fit between the shafts 122.

FIG. 5 shows that a dimension or distance D is defined roughly between the surface 156 of the back up wall 70 and the wing nut 30. D is typically roughly equal to the thickness of the sheeting and insulation 98, 100. The distance D could, of course, vary depending upon construction preferences or requirements with regard to insulation thickness or other factors. The wing nut 30 includes a length L. D may have any suitable value. For example, D may be roughly equal to L or greater than L. Alternatively, D may even be less than L.

FIG. 7 shows a wing nut 165 having the central barrel 33 with internal threaded bore and a plate 170 disposed proximate an end 174 of the wing nut 165. The plate 170 defines an elongate slot 176 for receiving a suitable wire tie (not shown). The elongate slot 176 may be advantageous in that it may accommodate a broad size range of wire tie legs.

FIG. 8 shows a further alternative wing nut 180, similar in some respects to the wing nut 165, but a plate 184 includes a portion 186 recessed from a diameter line or centerline C of the barrel 33. The recessed portion 186 allows a user to access a socket 194 disposed in the end 174 of the barrel 33. The user may conveniently place an appropriate hand or power tool into the socket 194 to facilitate rotation of the wing nut 180 onto a suitable shaft (not shown).

FIG. 9 shows an alternative wire tie 195 wherein the legs 104, 106 are joined together forming a U-shaped structure. The joined legs 104, 106 are placed into the slot 176. The embedment portion 110 may include a split. It should be noted that the joined legs 104, 106 may provide more rigidity than unjoined legs.

FIG. 10 shows an alternate wing nut 200 that is a two-piece assembly. A nut 205 is inserted into a slot 208 formed in a barrel 210 of the wing nut 200. In operation, one installs the nut 205 into the slot 208. The wing nut 200 is then threaded onto a shaft such that the shaft is threaded into the nut 205 inside the wing nut 200.

In accordance with a further method of the present invention, a vendor, whether a manufacture, distributor, or retailer, may provide the wing nut 30, 165, or 180 to an end user so that the end user may use the wing nut to connect a back up wall to a veneer wall. The vendor provides the wing nut having the wing 36, 170, or 184 and the openings 42 a, 42 b or elongate slot 176. The vendor identifies to the end user that the wing nut is usable with a wire tie and anchor shaft for the purpose of connecting a back up wall to a veneer wall. This identification can be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, the vendor may provide brochures to customers showing the wing nut in a manner that would cause users to purchase the wing nut to use with a wire tie to connect walls. The vendor may distribute pictorial diagrams, either with the brochures or on packaging for the wing nuts. The pictorial diagrams illustrate the wing nut either with a wire tie or with a wire tie and a back up wall and/or veneer wall. The vendor may contact end users by telephone, email, or other means to inform end users that the wing nut 30, 165, or 180 may be so used.

Numerous modifications to the features described and shown are possible. Accordingly, the described and illustrated embodiments are to be construed as merely examplary of the inventive concepts expressed herein and addressed in the appended claims. 

1. A system, comprising: a back up wall; a veneer wall spaced from the back up wall; an anchor shaft having a first end secured to the back up wall and a free end projecting into a space between the back up wall and the veneer wall; a wing nut having a central barrel disposed on the shaft proximate the free end wherein the wing nut is spaced apart from a surface of the back up wall; and a generally planar wing extending from an end of the central barrel wherein the wing includes at least one opening for receipt of a wire tie; wherein the wing nut is independently rotatable about the shaft to angularly orient the wings and thus the at least one opening as desired.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wing is disposed generally along a center line of the barrel.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the wing is recessed from a center line of the barrel.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wing nut includes a threaded bore and rotation of the wing nut moves the wing nut along the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wing includes first and second openings.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one opening is an elongate slot.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wing is oversized relative to the barrel in that a longitudinal dimension of the wing measured generally perpendicularly to the barrel is greater than the outside diameter of the barrel.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wing nut defines a length dimension L measured parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft and wherein a distance D is measured between the wing nut and a surface of the back up wall and wherein D is at least about L.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein wall sheeting and insulation are disposed between the wing nut and the back up wall.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wing nut is a two piece assembly.
 11. A method, the method comprising the steps of: providing a back up wall; providing a veneer wall spaced from the back up wall; securing a first end of an anchor shaft to the back up wall such that a free second end of the shaft projects into a space between the back up wall and the veneer wall; selecting a wing nut having a central barrel and a generally planar wing extending from an end of the central barrel wherein the wing includes at least one opening for receipt of a wire tie wherein once the shaft is secured to the back up wall the wing nut is independently rotatable about the shaft to angularly orient the wings and thus the at least one opening as desired; and threading the wing nut on the shaft proximate the free end to a desired final position wherein in the desired final position the wing nut is spaced apart from a surface of the back up wall.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wing is generally disposed along a centerline of the barrel.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein a portion of the wing is recessed from a centerline of the barrel.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wing includes a first and second openings.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one opening is an elongate slot.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of selecting a wire tie having joined legs.
 17. A method of providing a wing nut to an end user for connecting a back up wall to a veneer wall, the method comprising the steps of: providing a wing nut having a central barrel with a bore sized to accommodate an anchor shaft and a generally planar wing extending from an end of the central barrel wherein the wing includes at least one opening for receipt of a wire tie; identifying to the end user that the wing nut is usable with the wire tie and the anchor shaft for the purpose of connecting a back up wall to a veneer wall; and causing the wing nut to be delivered to the end user so that the end user places the wing nut onto the shaft and attaches the wire tie to the wing nut to connect the back up wall to the veneer wall. 